Funding Career Pathways for Out-of-School Youth: A Federal Policy Toolkit for States

The Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges Toolkit is designed to help inter-agency state teams identify and facilitate "braiding" of federal resources to design and develop career pathways and bridges into them for adults and out-of-school youth.

Available federal programs that might support this state initiative include:

• The Workforce Investment Act
•  The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act

Both of these program's eligibility requirements include youth/young adults with a foster care history.

Economic Prospects for Young Adults During the Recession

Findings by the Economic Policy Institute, published in their May 2010 Briefing Paper:

• Since the start of the recession, an additional 1.2 million 16-24-year-olds have become disconnected from both formal schooling and work. 
• The class of 2010 will be entering a labor market with the highest rates of unemployment in at least a generation.
• Unemployment rates for both college graduates and non-graduates younger than 25 are nearly double their pre-recession levels.

The rock is too heavy for Sisyphus (or emancipating foster youth) to carry alone

Quote from a friend of mine who is struggling right now: "I am looking at my life and I realize that it's not what I want it to be... I did not foresee the obstacles I would have to overcome - the struggles it would take just to survive. I never imagined that I would have to start over so many times, in order to get back on track again."

This is an all-too-common experience for young adults who emancipate from foster care and try to navigate the adult world without family support:  "Will I ever get to a point where I am happy with my life?  Where my life is stable and secure? Will I accomplish the dreams and goals I want for myself?  Or is this current chaos the life that I have to accept -- forever???"

I remember feeling that way often between the ages of 16-26 years old. I have at least 35 journals from college and grad school - charting the struggles and days when I thought my life wasn't going anywhere.

A friend of mine from college called days like this: Sisyphus Days. There's a myth that Sisyphus had to roll a rock up a mountain every day, only to have it roll back down, and start all over again.

Message to foster care youth and alumni: The good news is that you are NOT Sisyphus. We all have days when we feel that way - but your actions and accomplishments really ARE adding up to something, even if you can't see that right now.

And also you don't have to roll whatever rock you are currently carrying up that blasted hill all by yourself. Just as you live your life fighting to improve the system for others, please know that other people who know and care about you don't want you to face battles alone. It's not one-man combat, it's an army and we can overcome this struggle TOGETHER.

Transitional Youth and Natural Consequences

The Transition to Independence Process is a strengths-based approach for encouraging youth and young adults (ages 14-29) in their future planning process.

Many of the core elements of TIP model affirm the advocacy work that the Ohio chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America is involved in, and the workshops we currently provide. This includes:

• The cost-benefit analysis of investing in transitional youth 
• Young adult "discovery" vs. adult "recovery
  
• Identifying the supportive connections in their lives
• Encouraging peer support networks and peer mentors
• One-stop shopping for resources whenever possible
• Balancing the roles in decision-making (Taylor Model)

One side-effect of being a child welfare trainer myself is that, when I attend a training, I automatically evaluate what worked, what didn't, and how the format might have worked better.

I believe that an effective way of teaching the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) content would have been via a one-day workshop, with breakout sessions of small groups. Each small group could receive a case-study and figure out how to apply the TIP model. After this hands-on experience with implementation, small groups would report out to the group-at-large.

As it was, I left the training with two important questions left unanswered...

1.) What is the balance between maximizing the likelihood of success for a young person, and allowing youth to face the natural consequences of their choices?

As someone who works with foster care youth and young adults, many times, a young person will come to me in crisis mode.

They had an initial problem, which could have been easily remedied. But they didn't get the help and resources when they needed it, so the problem evolved into a snowball, rolling downhill and getting bigger and bigger. Often, by the time the young person comes to me to ask for help, all the dominoes have fallen and the problem has become a tangled mess.

If my state allowed foster care youth to re-enter foster care between the ages of 18-21, in every county, that would allow for the type of learning experiences that a young adult from an intact, supportive family can often count on from their parents.

But without a cohesive safety net, there is a limit to how far I am willing to allow a young person to fall. Standing back and letting the chips fall can compound the chaos to such a degree that it can be difficult to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

2.) The presenter mentioned "rationale" as an alternative to nagging young people. Telling young people the possible benefit or risk of their actions. However, he offered no concrete examples of what this looks like, in practice...  What does this look like? / sound like?

When I queried the speaker, asking both questions above, I didn't get a straight answer. So I'm left to puzzle this out by myself. Possibly a teachable moment might ensue, during which I could guide the young person toward self-evaluation of the impact of their decisions...

I'd really like to think about this further. Lately, my brain has been gnawing on two videos I posted recently:

• How Sitcoms (and Foster Care) Don't Teach Patient Problem-Solving
• The Marshmellow Test: How the Ability to Delay Gratification Impacts Long-Term Life Outcomes

I'm going to delve into a website that he mentioned during the workshop, and see if I can track down some more concrete information.

Jails and Prisons Have Become America's New Mental Hospitals

It's time to de-criminalize mental illness.

National research by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs' Association shows that  Americans with serious mental illnesses are three times more likely to end up in jail or prison, rather than a mental hospital.

The rate is even worse in Ohio, where it's four times more likely they'll be incarcerated. Between 2004-2005, Ohio had 10,260 inmates with a serious mental illness, compared with 2,536 people hospitalized. 

Patient Problem Solving - Sitcoms Don't Teach It (Foster Care Doesn't Either)

The Marshmellow Test - and Young Adult Outcomes

Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

After the initial study, by Professor Walter Mischl, researchers continued to track these children throughout their school careers and into early adult life. The results were dramatic:

"Those who had deferred eating the marshmallow for 15-20 minutes in order to get the bigger prize just a few minutes later were more socially competent, personally effective, self-assertive and better able to cope with the frustrations of life.


"They were less likely to go to pieces, freeze, regress under stress or become rattled and disorganized when pressured. They embraced challenges, and pursued them instead of giving up even in the face of difficulties; they were more self-reliant and confident, trustworthy and dependable; they took initiative and plunged into projects. This group even scored on average 210 points higher on their SAT."

Ohio's Young Adults Face Narrowing Path to Middle Class

With appreciation to PCSAO for sharing this update:

Policy Matters Ohio and Dēmos hosted an event yesterday in Cleveland to examine findings from their recent report, Building Ohio’s Middle Class: Addressing the Challenges Facing Young Adults.

This report shows opportunity has expanded in some important areas (college enrollment, women’s income), but at the same time there are some overall trends that are troubling:

Postsecondary Education

• Just over half (55 percent) of Ohio students at four-year institutions graduate within six years, and only a quarter of two-year students graduate within three years. Many students who leave college without a degree have student loan debt.

• Young adults from high-income families in Ohio are three times more likely to enroll in college than low-income young people, and there is a 14 percentage point gap between enrollment rates for young whites and young African Americans.

• Disparities in graduation rates by income and race are even higher.

Employment and Earnings

• Earnings of full-time workers under age 35 in Ohio are substantially lower today than a generation ago, except in the case of women with a college degree.

•  Among workers under age 35, the unionization rate in Ohio declined from 21 to 10 percent over the last 25 years.

Debt and Assets

• Two thirds of Ohio college graduates carry student loan debt. Of those, their average debt, just from public sources, is $23,854.

• Although housing prices are more affordable in Ohio than in some other regions, adults ages 25 to 34 spent a third of their incomes (34 percent) on rent in 2007.

Raising a Family

• The average annual price of full-time center-based child care for two preschool-age children (an infant and a four-year-old) in Ohio is $16,724.

• Nearly half (46 percent) of children under age 6 in Ohio are growing up in a low- income family, with income of $44,000 or less.

For Additional Information:
Please visit www.demos.org or www.policymattersohio.org

America's Runaway and Homeless Youth

Quote from Chapin Hall's (freely available for listening) webinair:

"Many runaways become homeless because family reunification is not an option. Other young people end up on the street or in a shelter because they are abandoned by their parents, are forced to leave home, age out of foster care, or are released from the juvenile justice system."

Does Keeping Youth in Foster Care Beyond Age 18 Help to Prevent Homelessness?

According to recent research, allowing young people to remain in foster care until their 21st birthday may not prevent but may delay their entry into homelessness:

New Findings from Midwest Study: Outcomes of Foster Care Alumni at Ages 23-24

The Midwest Study provides a comprehensive picture of how foster youth are faring during this transition since the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 became law.

Young people who age out of foster care continue to face major challenges in their early twenties, often unable to complete their educations and find housing and jobs.

These new findings look at the outcomes at ages 23 and 24.

Recent Foster Care Alumni of America Postcards

Cincy FCAA Allies in the Faith Community & Child Welfare System

Youth and Alumni Participate in FCAA Leadership and Advocacy Training in Cincinnati

Roleplays of Legislator Visits

Certificate of Completion of FCAA Leadership and Advocacy Training in Cincinnati

Florida Cost-Cutting Strategies Are Putting Up A Detour Sign on the Road to Independence

Here we have a program that is working. It's helping emancipated foster care youth to make it during their transition to adulthood. Yet, in the name of efficiency, Rep. Grimsley has decided to fix what ain't broke. Let's give young adults LESS money per month. Let's punish them for working by cutting their stipends.

Basically this reduction is putting up a great big DETOUR sign on the Road to Independence, and setting up additional barriers for Florida foster care youth/alumni who are trying to find stable housing and employment during their transition to adulthood.

For each of the legislators that supported this measure, I wonder how much assistance their parents gave them throughout young adulthood, such as: co-signing for their first apartment, paying for college and campus housing, and providing a place to stay during college breaks. I wish they knew how different the experience of turning 18 can be when you have no family.

For those of us who grew up in foster care and "aged out" of the system, the government is the only parent that we have. Please don't try to balance the state's budget on the backs of foster care youth. You'll save a penny now, and it will cost you two dollars later -- in terms of negative outcomes.

According the St. Petersburg Times: "Compared to other Florida teens, former foster youths are 14 times more likely to be homeless, six times more likely to go on welfare, and three times more likely to end up in the criminal justice system - as victims, if not defendants."

What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood

Child Trends recently released a factsheet on What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood.

Observations included the following:

• Targeting low-income and or high-risk youth early during their transition to adulthood can be effective at improving education and employment outcomes.

• Programs that were implemented over a long period of time were more effective at improving educational attainment.

• Mentoring has a positive impact on school and employment outcomes, and is also associated with decreased delinquency.

• Individual case managers who assess the needs of the participants, coordinate ongoing services, track participant progress, and provide ongoing support and guidance increase the probability of improved outcomes.

• Programs that implement skills training techniques have been found to be effective at improving some outcomes, but not reproductive health outcomes. None of the sexual risk-taking programs were consistently successful at changing behaviors among youth.

• Providing child care for participants contributes to education attainment, school attendance, employment, and earnings.

Two New Resources for Disconnected Youth

The term "disconnected youth" generally refers to young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in school or employed in the legitimate workforce.  

They may have had experience with the criminal justice system or have been in foster care. They aren’t receiving the education, work, civic, and family support they need to be successful adults.

Follow the Money: Funding and Legislative Opportunities on the Horizon to Serve Disconnected Youth discusses current and pending legislation that present opportunities to fund programs in communities to keep young people connected to school and recapture those who are not engaged in school or work.


Building a Comprehensive Youth Employment Delivery System: Examples of Effective Practice describes the landscape for youth in many high poverty urban communities across the country and outlines examples of effective collaboration across the education, juvenile justice and child welfare systems to address the needs of this population.

Parental Support Provided to Adult Children After Age 18

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately half of young adults ages 18 to 24 in the United States live at home with their parents:

• In 2003, 54% of young men and 45% of young women ages 18-24 lived at home with their parents. 
• In 2005, the numbers shifted a bit; 53% of young men and 46% of young women lived at home with their parents. 

A 2007 study sponsored by Ameriprise Financial on Money Across Generations revealed that nine out of 10 Baby Boomers have helped their adult children financially expenses such as college loans, automotive and home costs, medical expenses and/or allowing their adult child to move back home.

According to a 2005 research study on Family Support During the Transition to Adulthood:

"On average, for those living at home and those living independently, parents provide roughly $38,000 in material assistance – housing, food, educational expenses, or direct cash assistance – throughout the transition to adulthood (from age 18 to age 34). This averages to approximately $2,200 annually."

Please note that the amount of material assistance, $38,000 is cited in 2001 dollars. When the amount is adjusted to 2009 dollars using the CPI Conversion Calculator, it is $46,694.